Merry Christmas and a Couple of Cigars

This is going to be a short one, I mean, I have family stuff to do today, and I assume many of you do also.  Not many people are going to have time to read a long post!  So Happy Holidays to everyone!  Go back to my last post and enter the contest! Maybe you’ll win some great stuff!

We’re enjoying a cold snap here, Friday started out a balmy 50 and dropped to the teens by evening. I got my cigar in early, my heaters can’t keep up with this bitter cold.  I chose from a selection sent to me by my secret Santa this year, an Alec Bradley 2014 Fine and Rare.  It was my first time smoking a Fine and Rare, I may smoke another Fine and Rare later if time and temps allow.  This was a special smoke, a 7″ x 54 perfecto-ish cigar. I’ve had the same shape in a tubed Tempest ,I think.  It didn’t seem like it was that big, but it smoked for a good two hours.  When I say “good”, I mean really good! I seem to recall the Raices Cubanas factory having some quality issues around this time, which were not apparent in this cigar, it was perfectly built.  I believe the blend is Honduran and Nicaraguan with a Honduran wrapper. I also seem to remember some ridiculous number of varietals in the blend on these. Seven? Anyway, this was a really delicious cigar, pretty nunced and refined, but full of flavor.  It was bready, with some spice, but not much. It certainly was a special cigar befitting the season.  TY MS for these! I look forward to future Fine and Rare’s.

Yesterday I stopped by Goose’s Montecristo Lounge in Limerick, PA for a smoke or two.  I intended to just pick one or two nice cigars out to smoke, but I started looking through the discount bin (buy 3, get one free) and found some gems, some CyB Corona Reals, Cornelius and Anthony Meridian Corona Gordas, Jaxx LTs (forerunner of the La Sirena LT) and even an Emilio AF2 (AJ Fernandez).  So after I smoked a gifted Montecristo Epic, I lit up one of the CyBs I bought and it was delicious.  These had a pretty short life, coming out sometime around 2013 when José Blanco (the B) worked at Joya de Nicaragua with Dr. Alejandro Cuenca (the C).  It was originally called Cuenca y Blanco until someone pulled a trademark dispute. The cigar was really good, and I think I found all that he had in the bins. The cigar has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Dominican Piloto binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Peru.  It’s woody and sweet with some spice, the spice probably from that Peruvian leaf.  Good stuff!  Goose’s is a great spot with a large selection and comfortable lounge.  I’d like to get there more than I do! 

That’s all for today, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all, 

CigarCraig